MARS (dir. Sevan Najarian)

By: Adam Freed

From the creatively perverse minds of a collection of creators known best by moniker “The Whitest Kids U’ Know” MARS is a painfully irreverent and boundary erasing animated comedy about man’s desire to face the fear of settling down in life.  Framed as an exploratory mission to the red planet fronted by billionaire Elron Branson, an obvious shot at the cult of economic prosperity, MARS boldly goes very few animated comedies have gone before.  What is most shocking about director Sevan Najarian’s film is just how fearlessly it enters into a world of provocation without any consideration for whom or what may be offended in the process.  Like the often mean spirited and sexually inappropriate The Book of Mormon, MARS sprays its comedic acid evenly, in all directions.  The key to the likability of mean spirited comedy is to maintain the impression that it is never punching down.  This is a goal that MARS accomplishes with ease.    

Knowing exactly where the societal lines of comedic acceptance have been drawn is the first key to maliciously stomping all over them.  Audience mileage is certainly going to vary as it comes to jokes about religion, teen sexuality and The Holocaust, yet there are no signs that this is a concern of The Whitest Kids U’ Know.  By prioritizing shock value, and some impressively crafty writing, MARS is sure to succeed with open minded audiences.  Just as likely however, is that this may become one of the least completed films of the year, as unknowing audiences may last about ten minutes before realizing the barrage of vulgarity to which they have exposed themselves.  With all of the low hanging critiques addressed, MARS is really stinking funny. While it may be more offensive than funny to some, its premise is one with which most middle aged people will be able to connect and its humor is only as offensive as one permits it be.  At just over 80 minutes, the final film to feature the late Trevor Moore is one that fans of adult animated comedy will certainly want to enjoy.  

Target Score: 7.5/10  MARS is crass, vulgar, mean spirited, and absolutely hilarious.  With the acknowledgement that the animated comedy will certainly alienate some audiences, Sevan Najarian’s film has the potential to become a late night cult classic in the near future.     

MARS was screened in conjunction with Movie Archer’s coverage of the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival.